Dan Cappello Jr.

Dan Cappello Jr. (T-D)
Albany , NY
Birthplace: North Haledon, NJ
Birthdate: 3/31/59
Colors: Blue-White

Dan Cappello Jr. learned the harness business from his father, Daniel, who drove at Saratoga in the late 1960’s before moving to Monticello Raceway. Dan Jr. started driving after graduating high school in 1977 and drove mainly at Monticello for the next five years. He came to Saratoga in 1982 and first catch-drove for trainer John Brennan.

By 1983, the talented Cappello was ranked sixth in the driver standings, charting 113 wins in 734 starts and netting the Johnny Page award for “Up-and-Coming” Driver. He remained in the ‘top ten’ for the next three years and in late ‘86 made the jump to Pompano Park, Florida, wintering there until 1989 . Dan has proved his award of up-an-coming driver, hitting the top ten drivers every year since.

In 1993, Dan scored his 1,000th career victory behind BJ’s Power. 1995 was the year that Dan came to the forefront at Saratoga as he led the driver’s colony with 168 wins, thus winning Horseman of the Year. In 1996, Dan would win his second straight Horseman of the Year award while recording 216 wins to lead all Saratoga drivers as well as leading all drivers with a .395 UDR average which saw him take the ‘Overall Average’ Championship. Dan got the“hat-trick” in 1997 as he’d notch another Horseman of the Year award off the strength of leading all drivers in wins (151) and average of .369 UDR.

Dan won his first race with Gallant Romeo at Harrington, Del. The high point in his career was when he got his 3000th win with Little Haus September 3, 2004.

Dan was voted Driver Of The Year in 2003 and 2004and 2007, leading all spa drivers in wins for those years. Dan was named Horseman of the Year—1995 thru 1997, and again in 2007, with earnings over $1 million. He is closing in on his 4,000th, ending 2007 with 3,858 lifetime wins. Dan is a golf enthusiast and spends his free time on the golf course.

Dan finished second in driver standings in 2009 with 272 wins and over a million dollars in purse money.  He drove Flexjet, 2yo pacer of 2009, Pablo Angus, Aged Trotter, Trotter of the Year and Horse of the Year and Lucasey ($4000-$500 Claiming Trotter of the Year) a majority of their race time.